


Spirit

by Jocelyn



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Jaeger Pilots, Jaegers (Pacific Rim), Shatterdome Family, Shatterdome Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2014-12-19
Packaged: 2018-03-02 04:17:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2799248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jocelyn/pseuds/Jocelyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the grim Christmas of 2024, shadowed by the oncoming apocalypse, Mako approaches Herc and Tendo for help with a monumental task:  find a Christmas gift that will make Stacker Pentecost laugh.  A challenging quest ensues as our heroes search the globe at a time when laughter - and hope - are hard to come by.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spirit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StarsGarters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarsGarters/gifts).



**Spirit**

Christmas 2024 was not expected to be the merriest of holidays. 

Only a handful of Jaegers were left in service.  Almost three-quarters of the pilots who'd ever set foot in a conn-pod were dead or disabled.  The ones still alive and kicking felt more like they were being driven by inertia rather than any noble purpose anymore.

Herc Hansen spent a lot of time trying to avoid the news.  The world was a damned grim place.  There was a lot to do and not enough people or money to do it.  Distraction was good.  Working to the point of exhaustion and dreamless sleep was a bonus.  As "senior Ranger," he zipped between Shatterdomes with Stacker Pentecost and the ever-decreasing command group, decommissioning LOCCENTs and arranging transfers of the personnel and material they could still afford to Hong Kong. 

Late in 2024, Tamsin Sevier finally lost her battle with cancer, only adding to what Herc knew had to be a phenomenal weight on Stacker's heart.  So Herc ran ahead to Anchorage to meet up with Tendo Choi and the breakdown teams.

He was slogging through inventory of what was going and what was staying when he heard Tendo exclaim, "Good golly Miss Molly!  What're you doing here?"

Mako Mori gave Tendo a look of mock-affront, then a little grin. "Mori."

"Good Gory Miss Mori!"  Obviously this was an exchange they'd had before.

Herc shook his head at Mako.  "If you want to be gory by knocking this one's head in, I'll give you an alibi, love."

"Thank you, Ranger Hansen.  Someday I will." She was completely deadpan. 

Tendo mock-cowered, then straightened himself up and said more seriously, "I didn't think you'd be back before Christmas."

Mako dropped her eyes.  "I wanted to see the last checks before the project is transported to Hong Kong.  Marshall Pentecost is already there."

Jumping right back into work, no doubt, looking for distraction after Tamsin's funeral.  Tendo murmured an excuse and wandered away, and Herc stepped closer to her.  "I'd a chance to say it to Marshall, but not to you.  I'm so sorry, love.  I know what Tamsin meant to you."

As he expected, she took the condolence with pure grace and poise.  "Thank you, sir."

"Anything I can do?"

He expected her to say no, but to his surprise, she looked away and bit her lip for a moment.  "I... I did wish to ask a favor."  Overhearing, Tendo quickly picked up a tablet and made to vacate the area, but Mako half-turned and held up a hand.  "Actually... Mr. Choi, would you stay?"

Tendo dropped his stuff in surprise but hurried to rejoin them.  "Of course!  Tell me."

Mako's long pause made Herc's mind race a little, wondering what could lead the reserved kid - Stacker's girl through and through, adopted or not - to step so far outside protocol.  So what she finally came out with was the last thing he ever expected:  "I must get Sens - Marshall Pentecost a gift.  For Christmas."

Herc blinked.

Tendo blinked.

Herc had met the girl the year after Stacker brought her back from Japan, and been in her company on and off over the years.  She'd have had ample exposure to Christmas traditions, in school in the US and then moving among the various Shatterdomes.  Maybe she and Stacker and Tamsin had exchanged gifts before now.  But she'd never asked Herc about it.

Tendo looked as baffled as he felt.  "Well, uh... sure.  Of course.  I guess... what have you given him before?"

Mako smiled sheepishly. "Usually tea or something I made in school.  Or... Tamsin-san would suggest something.  But this year..."

_Oh, hell, keep it together, Herc._

But again, the end of the sentence took him by surprise... although it didn't quite ease the lump in his throat.  "This year, she said I must promise to make him laugh." 

* * *

Out of all the things Tendo thought he mind have ended up doing in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2024, helping Mako Mori come up with a gag gift for Stacker Pentecost wasn't even in the top thousand.  "W-what made you ask my help?" he asked, baffled.

"You're funny," she replied at once, completely sincere.  Herc let out a short bark of laughter at the look on Tendo's face (or just at the fact that he blushed.)  Anticipating the next question, she added, "And Tamsin said I should ask Ranger Hansen's help."

It was a toss-up as to which man was most flattered/nostalgic at hearing that.  But, they were now honor-bound to give her their best efforts, so the great quest began.

"All right, I admit it, if anyone other than Mako'd been the one asking, I'd say a sex toy, _"_ Herc muttered under his breath at one point as they perused the Internet.  Tendo let out a very loud, very undignified snort as he tried and failed to stifle his laughter. 

"That wouldn't make him laugh, that'd just get you on latrine duty," Tendo muttered back.  "Dammit... has he  _ever_ laughed?"

"Stacker?  Yeah, he did, back in the day."  Herc's gaze grew distant.

_Damn, serves me right for asking.  Well, I gave my word to a lady._ "What sort of stuff did he think was funny?"

Herc frowned to himself.  "Yan-Jie and Fang trying to teach Tamsin to breakdance... the Gages getting Romeo stuck in the mud..."

"Aren't there any...  _things_ that make him laugh?"

Herc heaved a frustrated sigh.  "Let's see what we can find."

Not that there was much shopping to be had in Anchorage these days, but they tried.  With Mako in tow after work shifts, they browsed the old shopping malls-turned-flea-market of freelance sellers peddling whatever junk they could get their hands on.  Tendo wasn't sure whether the bobble-head of Pentecost in his old Coyote Tango gear would make Pentecost laugh or uncomfortable, but it made Mako giggle when she saw it, so Herc insisted on buying it. 

"Quite the epic quest Sevier sent us on," Tendo remarked.  "Laughter's harder to come by these days than chocolate."

They had their hopes that Hong Kong, with its open port and nonexistent trade restraints, would yield better offerings.  In between the grueling, tense Pacific crossing with the half-rebuilt Gipsy Danger and trying to wrangle various governments to keep enough PPDC resources on their shores so the last few Jaegers could be deployed for the next attack, there wasn't much time to get into the holiday spirit.

But for some reason, Herc, Tendo, and Mako threw themselves into their search whenever they had a break with almost fanatical passion.  They were constantly making mental notes to return to roadside rummage stands they passed on the street and quizzing the local staff about promising markets. 

Even when they were past the two-week mark since the last attack and the whole Pacific was on red alert, Tendo found himself peeking at odds and ends on people's work stations and asking crew where they got them. 

Pentecost's new office had a couple of old coolant pools that Marshall, under the influence of some Zen decorating scheme, had filled with water.  There wasn't any cement available to just level out the floor.  Herc got the bright idea of obtaining a few goldfish - just a few, since Marshall wouldn't have much time to feed or take care of them, and they were lower maintenance than koi.  (Cleaning the pools would have to be done on a weekly basis anyway to keep the place from smelling like a swamp.)

Hilarity ensued when a very confused Chuck came out of the Hansens' temporary quarters before the pre-transfer meeting of the Aussie staff in LOCCENT.  Tendo saw him mouthing something at Herc, who visibly stifled a laugh.  He muttered a casual answer and got an even more odd look from his son.  After the meeting, Herc sidled over to Tendo.

"He wanted to know what's with the bags of fish on the shelf.  I told him I was lonely."

Tendo nearly snorted coffee out of his nose.  Chuck eyed them, then walked off, shaking his head. 

* * *

The initial plan was for Mako to present their handiwork to Stacker on Christmas Eve, in keeping with their tradition from Tamsin.  As humanity's bad luck would have it, they got movement in the Breach instead.

"Christmas Eve kaiju, boys and girls, codenamed Ebenezer," Tendo was shouting as Herc and Chuck sprinted for the Jumphawk to get back to Sydney.

On the com, Herc connected with Stacker for updates.  "K-Watch didn't  _really_ codename this guy Ebenezer, did they?"

_"It seems so._ "

Scrooge the Kaiju headed east, and Puma Real and Hydra Corinthian took him down off the Columbian coast with minimal damage.  A couple of sporting spotter pilots then flew over the two Jaegers with mistletoe, so Hydra delicately maneuvered in for a "kiss" from the Mark-2, much to the watching public and media's appreciation.

_"I'd put my faith in the Jaegers over any stupid wall,_ " ranted a bystander near the site of the now-closed Lima Shatterdome.   _"A wall won't kill the kaiju!  How long is it going to hold up if we just let them have free reign of the Pacific ocean?!  Where are we supposed to go?"_

"Nice to be appreciated," Chuck murmured as they watched. 

* * *

_3:30 am, Hong Kong Local Time, December 25, 2024..._

The engagement had ended well, adding to a trend of good fights despite the brutal losses the Jaeger Program had sustained in the past few years.  The logistics of relocating the remaining mechs to Hong Kong were shuffled around again since, unsurprisingly (but to Stacker's private smugness) the Panamanian government was now having second thoughts about letting Hydra Corinthian and Puma Real go. 

"The Latin American Kaiju Response Authority is offering to cover the expense of maintenance and post-engagement repair if Hydra and Puma will stay on at the Panama Shatterdome site 'until the wall is completed,'" Mako informed him as they headed for his office.  No one else would have detected the sarcasm in her voice, but Stacker did... and he heartily agreed with her.

"Have you spoken to the pilots?"

"Yes, sir, and the senior support staff.  They're happy to accept."

"Good.  Let both crews know that the private communication lines are open.  If they are subjected to any mistreatment or substandard support, I want to know."  Stacker wasn't terribly worried about the local populace.   Puma Real and Hydra Corinthian were beloved as guardian knights of Central and South America, their crews praised and supported by the coastal towns and villages.  But it wasn't the town and village populations who'd voted to defund and decommission the Shatterdomes in favor of a wall and an admonition to abandon the coastline.  And some of the new decision-makers within the ever-fractured international kaiju response authorities were vocal in their scorn, calling the Jaegers and their crews useless money pits, and their pilots failures.

Somewhere down the corridor, crew were bellowing out Christmas carols with varying levels of musical talent.  Stacker decided to give himself a little gift and get some sleep, but as he started to turn, Mako said quickly, "Before you retire, sir, may we speak in your office?"

Hmm.  She could have accompanied him to his room.  They observed strict formality in public, but on a few occasions, they could scrape up the chance to talk as something other than superior and subordinate.  He supposed she wanted to ask again about testing with the prospective pilots for Gipsy Danger.

"Of course."  But he led the way to his office, thinking he would need to detour to his room later to give Mako her Christmas gift...

He went through the door, the lights came on... and he stared.

Someone had redecorated.  There were lines of rocks across the middle of the pools - no, not rocks... were those the Thames flood barriers?!  There were also lily pads with absurd little smiling frogs floating around - and the frogs were wearing Santa hats.  Behind Stacker's desk in his chair was a little stuffed Grinch. 

The door clicked quietly closed, and Mako's sly little grin told the tale... and Stacker began to quietly laugh.  "How the hell did you manage all this?"

"Ranger Hansen and Tendo Choi helped me," she said.  "It all comes apart easily," she added quickly.  "And it can't be seen from the holo camera."

He laughed again.  "Perhaps I'll leave it this way," he suggested, bending to inspect a definitely-not-to-scale model of Tower Bridge along the edge of one of the pools.  There was a Venetian gondolier floating in front of it.  He laughed still harder when he saw movement in the pool.  "You even added fish!"

Mako held out a jar that he hadn't noticed had been added to his desk: fish food.  He fed the fish and watched them shimmer in the lights as they swam between the makeshift flood gates.  "Happy Christmas, Sensei," his girl said softly.

He turned and tweaked her chin.  "Happy Christmas, Mako-chan.  Come."  He straightened and beckoned towards the door.  He'd rearrange the office to be more dignified... but later.  "Your present is in my room."

Her gift was so tame by comparison: he'd found a beautifully-carved wooden "puzzle box" with multiple hidden compartments that she could keep her jewelry in.  Mako loved baubles, and Stacker and Tamsin had accumulated many fine pieces for her special occasions over the years.  Not that she had the chance to show off her collection anymore.  Most of it stayed in a utilitarian metal chest, but she still pulled everything out and carefully polished it on a regular basis. 

A present from Tamsin followed:  the ring that Luna had given her in 2013, four months before K-Day.  Mako knew it was coming; Tamsin had told her years ago that it would pass to her.  Neither of them talked for several minutes after Stacker pressed it into her hand, but they didn't need to. 

Uniform regulations allowed only one slight bend for sentiment:  a single ring was permitted on the chain with an officer's dog tags.  Married couples who couldn't wear rings on their fingers around machinery used them for wedding bands, but for many in the Corps, a treasured heirloom hung there even the wearer herself was unmarried.  Chuck Hansen wore his mother's wedding ring next to his dog tags; Herc wore his own around his neck. 

Mako almost ceremoniously removed her own dog tags to slide Tamsin and Luna's ring onto their chain.  " _Domo arigato, Sensei._ "

He walked her back to her own quarters to wish her goodnight and one more Happy Christmas - then spied the bobble-head doll on her shelf through her open door.

All he could do was hope that no one in the hallway overheard his helpless roar of laughter.  "Where did you get that?!"

Now Mako was giggling.  "Herc Hansen."

"I will  _kill_ him when I next see him!"

Alas, he really did have to remove the decorations so that his office didn't look ridiculous when there was official business going on.  The reprieve between attacks was seldom more than a month; in a matter of days, they'd be back bracing for the next one while trying to plan Operation Pitfall with their ever-decreasing resources. Mako brought the boxes and helped him pack them up the next day, and put them in a crate among inconspicuously-marked storage supplies.

He kept the fish.

 

**~Fin~**


End file.
